Nonfiction Monday – Booktalking #kidlit

Fab Four Friends: The Boys Who Became the Beatles

Fab Four Friends: The Boys Who Became the Beatles
by Susanna Reich (Author) and Adam Gustavson (Illustrator)

Booktalk: In 1957 in Liverpool, England, a young lad named John Lennon and his band played music at a local church fair. In the audience was Paul McCartney, who liked what he heard and soon joined the group. Paul’s friend George Harrison kept showing up at rehearsals until the older boys finally let him in. Eventually they found the perfect drummer, Ringo Starr, and the perfect name: The Beatles. Four ordinary boys growing up amid the rubble of postwar England found music to be a powerful, even life-saving, force and became the bestselling band in history.

Snippet: John attacked the guitar, strumming as fast as he could. He didn’t give a fig about wrong notes. With some of his mates, he organized a skiffle group called the Quarrymen, pounding out souped-up folk songs and some rock and ‘n’ roll. They had no idea how to play, but they loved making noise–lots of noise! Rehearsing in Mum’s bathroom, the sound bounced off the tiles. Bam, BOOM, bam, BOOM!

Listen to the The Quarrymen sing Buddy Holly’s song, “That’ll Be The Day” on July 14th, 1958.

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Blog Tour for Fab Four Friends: The Boys Who Became the Beatles

Monday, August 17 Booktalking

Tuesday, August 18 Shelf-Employed

Wednesday, August 19 UnleashingReaders.com

Thursday, August 20 Elizabeth Dulemba

Friday, August 21 Maurice on Books

Tuesday, August 25 Kidsbiographer’s Blog

Wednesday, August 26 Gail Gauthier

Thursday, August 27 Tales from the Rushmore Kid

Friday, August 28 Alphabet Soup

Visit each blog tour stop!

Get Drawing!

Get Drawing! (Dream It, Do It!)
by Charlotte Guillain (Author)

Booktalk: Stop dreaming about becoming an artist—and take steps to make your dream come true! These helpful tips for finding inspiration, keeping a sketchbook, and always thinking creatively will help you open your own gallery in no time!

Snippet: Ideas come when you don’t expect them. Carry a sketchpad with you and keep all of your drawing and doodles. You could also cut out any pictures that you like in magazines and stick them in your sketchbook.

Use the tips at the end of the book to stage your own gallery show!

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Ed Emberley

Ed Emberley
by Todd Oldham (Author), Caleb Neelon (Author), and Ed Emberley (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Ed Emberley is a Caldecott award-winning children’s book illustrator and writer who has been creating original books since the 1960s. He has written and illustrated more than 100 books. Contemporary working artists today often cite Ed Emberley as a beloved early inspiration in their development as artists. By encouraging kids to draw using just a few simple shapes, Emberley has made drawing and creating accessible to everyone.

Snippet:
Early Work
As Ed Emberley began his children’s bookmaking career in the 1960s, he had a young family and a new home to support. He found that working in several different styles of drawing (and soon after, printmaking) would allow him the freedom to work on enough book projects to make ends meet. He quickly realized that this variety of style was a key part of who he was as an artist and not simply an approach to launching a career.

Try it yourself! Make art in these different styles…

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

How Do You Burp in Space?

How Do You Burp in Space?: And Other Tips Every Space Tourist Needs to Know
by Susan E. Goodman (Author) and Michael Slack (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Want to blast into orbit? Walk on the moon? Snag a personal photo of a shooting star? Well your time is coming! And when it does, you’re going to need a guide filled with information. Grounded in the history of space travel and the planned future of space tourism, this guide book will tell you what to pack (hint: no bubble bath or juggling balls!); what to expect from your accomodations (a sleeping bag attached to the wall), and what to do for fun (leapfrog on the moon!). Get ready to rock your rocketship!

Snippet: Eventually, you’ll be able to orbit Earth or vacation on Mars. It’s too early to make reservations, but it’s never too soon to start thinking about it. This guidebook will help you enjoy your space adventure long before you board the ship. After all, how can you daydream about it without knowing what you’ll eat and where you’ll sleep? Or what it’s like doing all of this while floating upside down?

STEM + the Arts = STEAM

STEAM DIY Activity

Remember this day in history and explore the story of the first moonwalk on July 20, 1969.
Watch the Footage from the Apollo 11 moonwalk.

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Party In A Book: Spots, Dots, and Stripes

Party In A Book: Spots, Dots, and Stripes
by Rebecca Emberley (Author, Illustrator)

Booktalk: Everything you need to throw a party! DIY: Hundreds of perforated paper pieces, easy to assemble in dozens of ways to create your perfect party. Simply punch out the shapes desired, add some glue and string and you can make garlands, cupcake toppers, tray covers, chains, gift wrap, invitations, labels, tags, boxes, and much more.

Snippet:

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Benny Goodman and Teddy Wilson: Taking the Stage As the First Black-and-White Jazz Band in History

Benny Goodman and Teddy Wilson: Taking the Stage As the First Black-and-White Jazz Band in History
by Lesa Cline-Ransome (Author) and James E. Ransome (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Brought together by the love of jazz, Teddy Wilson and Benny Goodman broke the color barrier in entertainment when they formed the Benny Goodman Trio with Gene Krupa and helped create the style of music known as swing.

Snippet:
Chicago’s West Side Colt’s Electric Park, 1922:

Pop boom pop boom
Above Benny,
the Fourth of July exploded
One hundred colors, loud,
live and hot
In front of him, the jazz band
clarinet, piano, drums
pop boom pop boom
Benny sat, toe tapping,
fingers snapping,
listening

STEM + the Arts = STEAM

STEAM DIY Activity

Click on a date on the Interactive Timeline to journey back in time and discover how jazz became America’s music.

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

The Long, Long Journey: The Godwit’s Amazing Migration

The Long, Long Journey: The Godwit’s Amazing Migration
by Sandra Markle (Author) and Mia Posada (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Crackle! Crackle! Crunch! What’s hatching from that egg? It’s a young bar-tailed godwit. She will spend the summer in Alaska learning to fly, find her own food, and escape from scary predators. Her long, long journey begins in October when she flies to New Zealand. This 7,000-mile flight is the longest nonstop bird migration ever recorded. Follow along on her amazing voyage!

Snippet: The little female bar-tailed godwit at last breaks free of her egg. She steps into the world on long, wobbly legs. It’s nearly midnight, but it’s June in Alaska and still light. A cool wind blows the chick’s downy coat. She shivers, lifts her beak and squeaks, “Peep! Peep!”

STEM + the Arts = STEAM

10 Myths About Teaching STEM Books and How You Can Teach STEM in Your Classroom Now

Mark your calendars! STEM Friday is participating in the 2015 Summer of Learning professional development series brought to you by Share My Lesson. This free AFT webinar offers one hour of professional development credit.

Overview

Title: Teach STEM Now

Date: Thursday, July 09, 2015

Time: 01:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Duration: 1 hour

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch

The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch
by Chris Barton (Author) and Don Tate (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Look at the Reconstruction period through the life of one of the first African-American congressmen.

Snippet: Searching for more satisfying work, he went from waiter to cook –ah, the freedom to make such a move!– then from cook to better-paid pantryman on board the Altamont a Union transport steamer.

Don is one of my former students.

See the book trailer.

STEM + the Arts = STEAM

STEAM DIY Activity

John Roy Lynch worked on a steam boat. Make a simple steam boat for yourself.

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Cliff Dwellings: A Hidden World

Cliff Dwellings: A Hidden World (Abandoned! Towns Without People series)
by Kevin Blake (Author)

Booktalk: Hear the amazing story of the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde, which were suddenly and mysteriously abandoned more than 700 years ago.

Snippet:
An Amazing Discovery:
On a snowy day in December 1888, two cowboys, Richard Wetherill and his brother-in-law Charlie Mason, stopped at the edge of a deep canyon in southwestern Colorado. Richard peered through the falling snow, hoping to find some cattle that had wandered off. Instead, he spotted something strange inthe cliffs below. His heart begin to race.

There, built into the side of the red-yellow cliffs was a hidden village of buildings and towers.

See this page inside the book.

STEM + the Arts = STEAM

STEAM DIY Activity

See How To Build An Adobe Dwellings Diorama.

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

. . .

The Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors
by Mark Stewart (Author)

Booktalk: Who will win the NBA Finals this year? Read about your favorite basketball team in the Team Spirit series. Here is a snippet from The Golden State Warriors.

Snippet: When Wilt Chamberlain joined the NBA, Philadelphia coach Frank McGuire boasted that the seven-footer would score 100 points in a game. Chamberlain was amazingly quick and strong. Other players simply could not handle him. All he needed to make his coach’s prediction come true was a little help from his friends.

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

#kidlit Link of the Day:

“Share My Lesson will offer four days of free online professional development from top education leaders during June and July. There will be sessions for everyone, including new teachers. And the best part? You receive one professional development credit for each session you attend.”

[Illustrations by Daniel Baxter]